


For heaven’s sakes go to hell, knock on wood.

by 002kids



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 7dream, Forbidden Love, Love Triangle, M/M, Reborn - Freeform, alternative dimension, mark is a ghost sorry, that sounds cringey but hell yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:41:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/002kids/pseuds/002kids
Summary: Looking for loopholes leads you into blackholes where time is stretched and wasted and you will never find the love that you believe has been stolen from you.





	1. Lecture me about what I know

The hour hand moves slower than the second hand is able to recall. But perhaps that was a false memory because time is constant. Time is, most probably, the only thing that will remain at a steady constant throughout our entire lives. 

A year will always be twelve months, a month will always be four weeks, a week will always be seven days, a day will always be twenty-four hours, an hour will always be sixty minutes and a minute will always be sixty seconds. 

But you have always liked the bigger picture. You look ahead to your years and your decades without giving your seconds another glance. 

What would your decade be without seconds?

Tick, tock, one elephant, two mississippi, however you want to count them. You’re wasting them chasing after someone who will never look at you. 

Please, just listen to me. Just this once. 

He can’t ever look at you, Jaemin.


	2. The ghost in my hair

The clouds in the sky hung heavy not unlike how Jaemin’s eyelids felt falling down over his vision. His alarm flashed 06:30 in blood red LEDs as his cat proceeded to scratch outside his bedroom door. 

“Little devil you’re not coming in.” It was so close to a whisper he may as well have just said it in his head. 

The mess of brown wavy hair rolled out of bed and towards his wardrobe. He rested his head against the door lightly before pulling it open and taking out the first outfit he could piece together. 

The wind outside was cold and brittle as Jaemin stepped outside to walk to school. The sky had turned from grey to blue and the pink tint on the clouds had lifted. Soft raindrops surged against Jaemin’s subtlety tanned face, his eyes closed and he felt his mind start falling into a dark space. 

“Jaemin, don’t fall asleep you’re walking.”

Mark. He cared for Jaemin in ways that could not be described. He had NJ tattooed on his heart and time running through his dead mind. Very dead. 

“Jaemin you fucking twat you’re walking upright in the rain how the fuck are you falling asleep right now?”

The live boy groaned, eyes still half closed, lashes tickling his cheeks. 

“I didn’t sleep too much last night.”

A classic Na move. 

“I swear on my own fucking grave if you were doing what I think you were doing…”

Mark halted ahead of Jaemin, the younger walked straight through him. His heavy shoes picked up their pace as if he and Mark were repelling magnetic poles. 

“I know he’s out there Mark.”

 

As the hours tiptoed through the school corridors Jaemin felt his brain melting more and more, wanting it to liquidate and pour out his ears. Teachers voices became white noise and his vision relaxed into a blurry haze. A small voice in the back of his head reminded him to count the seconds, just like Mark always tells him to do. One elephant and two and three and the clock on the wall is teasing him. 

03:30 pm and Jaemin was finally free. 

“Mark you realise you’re allowed on school grounds right? It’s not like anyone would see you trying to sneak in.”

Mark’s hair was dark and curly, it hung loose and untamed to cover up the reds and greys that swirled around his eyes. However, no matter how dead his eyes looked his smile always remained perfectly white (and perfectly fake). 

“I dunno, it still feels kinda wrong even through no one would be able to notice me. Plus, I like, know people in there. You know? But they don’t know me anymore. It just feels weird.”

A slender hand attempted to tame the untamable mop before giving up and pulling it back down over his eyes. His cheeks pulled themselves up and painted themselves red. 

“Plus, you probably need a few hours away from me anyways.”

Selfless as always, Mark Lee. 

“It’s boring… But I get where you’re coming from. Sorry, it must be weird to see people.”

But it’s been eighteen years, Jaemin. You’re all used to it. 

 

At 09:48 pm Jaemin found himself under the covers searching him up again. The J’s and P’s of his laptop keyboard more than worn out by now, after all, eighteen years of searching and searching wears the innocent out. 

Mark sat in the corner of the room. He knew what Jaemin was doing, he wasn’t very subtle. But for one night he deserved to try and find him, because just imagine the look on his face, the absolute joy and ecstasy. Mark could only dream of seeing that face one day. 

 

Morning came soon and Jaemin woke up to the glaring screen of his laptop. 

“Jaemin, I know how much you want to find him. Trust me… I do too. But you know the agreement and we can’t… You know… This is a whole different world. A different lifetime.”

Jaemin sat up, head throbbing, heart pulsating. 

“There has to be a loophole.” Jaemin spoke strong and confident. Not a crack, shake or break could ever be pushed out from him. But deep down he was a shivering mess, hidden away for only him to see. 

“You can’t be so sure of that. All we know for sure is that if he sees you there will be consequences… Plural.”   
Mark stood over Jaemin, though shorter he was still older (for now) and stronger (only just). Jaemin shut his laptop and paced around the room. 

“Exactly, he can’t see me. I can still see him.”

“There’s no way of knowing that.”

Mark sighed. He was just tired if Jaemin’s consistent stubbornness, the younger boy was too determined for his own good. 

“It was never specified.”

“Exactly, you could be fucking us all over with this Jaem. Think about us and not just you for once.”

Jaemin inhaled and counted his precious seconds. Mark was right and he knew that. He knew there were consequences and he didn’t want to hurt the people he loved the most, but he also knew he needed to see him. Loving him the first time round had cost him his life but he still believed that time heals all wounds. 

 

There were always limits that the boy knew, the limits of his new life. He had been told that crystal clearly. There were only three rules:  
-Don’t attempt to cheat death again  
-Don’t try and bring Mark back into the living realm  
-Don’t, under any circumstances, meet with Jisung. There will be grave consequences


	3. What I can’t have

The boy’s phone screen glared in the darkness, reflecting “04:27am” onto the bare white walls surrounding him. White bed sheets stained with tears and empty pages scrunched up on the floor glowed in the moonlight, light reflecting into the eyes of the tired boy. 

 

Jisung turned, clutching his pillow over his face trying once again to shut his surroundings out. 

He watched the minutes pass on his phone screen but his mind yearned for more. So he rolled out of bed and searched through his draws to find an old blue watch, decorated with little sanrio characters. 

 

His eyes focused on the second hand. The time on the watch was nowhere near accurate, it had been hidden away under masses of socks for years, but the ticking, the seconds, the counting. All of it calmed him. 

 

It grounded him. 

 

The next time Jisung woke up it was 7am and he felt his strain on his eyebags. The time on his phone read 07:03am. The time on his watch read 11:47. 

 

Morning dew melted into grey paving stones and winter street lights as Jisung’s long fingernails scraped his hair back, only for the breeze to blow back forwards. His backpack settled comfortably on his shoulders, weighing him down slightly, slowing his step. 

 

“Park, you’re late again… Surprisingly.”

 

His backpack slipped from his shoulder into his hand, the zip sliding open as he reached in to grab his school diary.

 

“Woke up late, sorry sir.” His hair fell over his face as if to cover the shame that came with his lie. 

 

“This better be the last time, Park. You’re on thin ice.”

 

His lessons passed in a blur, teacher after teacher’s voice swirling into white noise as his pen glides across his pages uncontrollably. 

 

As soon as the buzzer rang he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

 

“Jisung! You’re in today!”

 

The boy’s hair bounced as he spoke, his eyes forming crescents as he smiled. Of course the encounter attracted another boy, significantly shorter than Jisung except he glowed with ecstasy while Jisung was dim and dark. 

 

“Why weren’t you in yesterday you fucking asshole? I had to do the presentation by myself, it was horrible.” A strand of frizzy and damaged hair fell over the small boys eyes as he punched Jisung’s shoulder playfully. 

 

“Oh fuck I forgot about that.”

 

The smaller boy rolled his eyes and started repetitively hitting Jisung, whining about how he has “the most useless best friend on the planet.”

 

“Chenle please I’m sorry spare me” He giggled through the weak punches to his stomach, “Ah, Chenle watch it or I’ll hit you back.”

 

“Really? I know you could never hurt a fly” Chenle raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Maybe  _ I  _ could never hurt you… But I’d get Jeno on you.”

 

Chenle laughed even louder. 

 

“Oh my god, am I supposed to be scared? You two are a couple of softies.” He launched himself forward in an attempt to tickle both of the tall boys at the same time (ultimately failing and almost falling face first on the floor). 

 

“Hey,” Jeno spoke up, instinctively wrapping an arm around Jisung’s waist, “Who are you calling soft? One hundred percent I could beat you any day, shortie.”

 

Chenle huffed and crossed his arms in an overly exaggerated response, Jeno took that as a win. 

 

“Anyways, what’s the plan for after school?” Jeno tightened his grip around Jisung and turned his face towards him, “You’re not allowed to bail, I’ve had enough if Chenle on my own this week.”

 

An audible groan left Chenle’s lips. 

 

“Well count me out then I’m not third wheeling again.”

 

“Nooo Chenle please I need you!” Jisung jeered. 

  
  


The rest of the day seemed to pass in seconds, Jisung not even being able to recall anything that had just happened. The final bell rang and he found himself pushing against the stream of student leaving their classes, eager to return to where they came from. He fought through the crowd to find Jeno’s classroom and waited outside until the older boy showed. 

 

A minute passed, then two, then five. Jisung peered through the little glass window into the empty classroom. Empty. 

 

Jisung dreaded the thought of having to text the other to find him. 

 

**you:**

**hey jen ur not in ur classroom wru**

**_sent 15:42_ **

 

**jenjen <3:**

**oh shit im waiting outside**

**_received 15:45_ **

**fuck it. meet @ mine?**

**_received 15:46_ **

 

**you:**

**yeah sure see u in 10**

**_sent 15:46_ **

**< 3**

**_sent 15:48_ **

 

**jenjen <3:**

**< 33**

**_received 15:48_ **

 

Jisung knew the way to Jeno’s house. He’d been there countless times. The first time, when they’d just become friends and he ended up round there for dinner because Jeno was just that eager. The second time, when Chenle insisted they all needed to watch  _ Sabrina  _ together. And three months ago, who knows how many times it had been by then, when Jeno asked Jisung to be his boyfriend. 

 

The doorbell rang and Jisung checked the time. He counted the seconds, trying to match as minutes passed on his phone screen. 

 

1 turned to 2 turned to 3. Fuck. 

 

**you:**

**is ur doorbell working?**

**_sent 14:03_ **

 

**jenjen <3:**

**wym are u outside?**

**_received 14:03_ **

 

**you:**

**yeah i rang the bell a couple minutes ago but :/**

**_sent 14:04_ **

 

**jenjen <3:**

**ksksk it must b broken then grrr**

**_received 14:04_ **

**awww baby i can see u pouting through the window :(((**

**_received 14:05_ **

 

“Sorry! I didn’t know it was broken!” Jisung laughed and slung his arms around the elder’s neck.  

“You’re forgiven… I guess.” He pressed his face into the crook of Jeno’s neck. 

 

“High School Musical or How To Train Your Dragon?” Jeno tackled the younger into a headlock and kissed him on the crown of his head. 

 

“High School Musical! Always!” 

 

The next few hours were spent with arms intertwined and giggles muffled in fluffy blankets. Jisung held his boyfriend’s hands in his, kissing his knuckles before holding him closer. 

 

“Jen?” Jisung was met with the soft breath of the sleeping boy next to him. He smile and rested his forehead on the latters. 

 

“I love you.”

 

**_1 message from unknown number:_ **

**is this park jisung???**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a while to update since ive been lacking motivation and inspiration recently sorry :((( im going to try and update again b4 i delete all my socials for exams. kudos and comment r very appreciated !!!!


	4. notice

this is not an update and this will be deleted once i get my act tgt. i know i have not updated this fic for a while mainly bc i was focused on exams but also bc i was majorly lacking inspiration and i have had the worst writers block. i dont know when im going to be able to update the next chapter but i hope whoever is reading this has enjoyed this so far and is willing to wait for me... im sorry ily


	5. sorry

discontinued. sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Frank Ocean - pink matter !!! one of my fav songs evaaaa  
> anyways pls leave kudos and comments they are much appreciated!!!<3


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